IRISH WILLS FROM 1858
‘From 1858 a single calendar of wills and administrations was compiled’
The 1857 Probate Act abolished the testamentary authority of the Church of Ireland. Instead of the Consistorial Courts and the Prerogative Court, the right to grant probate and issue letters of administration was assigned to a Principal Registry in Dublin and 11 District Registries. Although originally established to cover a united Ireland, the records of these District Registries, with those created since 1922, are now deposited at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI; nationalarchives.ie), or the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI; nidirect.gov.uk/proni) for the districts that are now in Northern Ireland.
From 1858 a single calendar of all wills and administrations was compiled annually by the Principal Probate Registry
